By Mary O’KEEFE

At about 1 a.m. Crescenta Valley Sheriff Station deputies Eddie Tsuang, Jacob Goble and Oganes Dallakyan were flagged down by a group of motorists who reported their friend’s black Honda had possibly gone over the side of ACH, according to a statement from the CV Sheriff’s Station.

Deputies began a search and found the vehicle about 450 feet over the side of the Crest at mile marker 42. It appeared that the driver and passenger had been ejected from the car. The passenger, a 21-year-old Los Angeles man, had made his way up the side of the mountain.

“[The passenger] had crawled up to the road and made it to the [U.S.] Forest Service Fire Station,” said Lt. Angela Shepherd.

Deputies found the driver, a 21-year-old Highland Park man, hanging onto the side of the mountain 100 to 150 feet below the road. Deputies Goble and Dallakyan went down the steep hill to help the driver. They found that the man had an apparent head injury. Dep. Goble held onto the driver to prevent him from sliding farther down the mountain, a 400-foot drop. Both deputies engaged the man in conversation.

“Otherwise he would have gone unconscious,” Shepherd said.

Los Angeles County Fire Dept., California Highway Patrol and Montrose Search and Rescue also responded to the scene. Dep. Tsuang was on the road to relay the situation to emergency responders as they arrived. The deputies continued to hold the driver, and were joined by a LACoFD paramedic as MSR members arrived.

“We sent one member, Doug Cramoline, over the side with a rescue litter and got the victim,” said Mike Leum, MSR.

MSR then assisted the deputies up the steep slope to the road.

The driver was transported to Holy Cross Hospital with head trauma and major internal injuries. The passenger was transported to a local hospital and treated for possible internal injuries.

It is possible that the driver and passenger were involved with street racing. The incident is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

Shepherd praised the deputies and MSR for the rescue.

“It was a pretty heroic rescue. They risked their lives to save him,” she added.